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Summary

Project Growing Regional Opportunities for the Workforce (Project GROW) provided education and occupational training to adults with low job skills and low college readiness at five Workforce Investment Boards spanning the U.S. Texas–Mexico border. The program aimed to improve participants’ employment opportunities.

Program participants were sorted into services based on education and college readiness at enrollment. Adults with a high school diploma or GED whose Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) reflected a 9th-to-12th-grade score equivalency received case management and college readiness training in preparation for subsequent enrollment in occupational training. If participants with a high-school-level TABE score were not enrolled in school and did not have a high school diploma or GED, they received accelerated GED preparation and occupational training simultaneously. Out-of-school participants with TABE scores below a high school level and without a GED or high school diploma received adult basic literacy education and English-as-a-second-language services alongside case management.

The primary population was adults with low job skills and low college readiness who were living along the U.S. Texas–Mexico border.

Populations and employment barriers:

Implementation at a glance

Primary service
Integrated education and training
Program services
Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Integrated education and training, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Occupational or sectoral training
Setting(s)
Tested in multiple settings
Year evaluation began
2012
Implementing organization(s)Five Workforce Investment Boards; Jobs for the Future; Abt Associates; Business Access

Effectiveness ratings

  • Well- supported
  • Supported
  • Mixed support
  • Not supported
  • Insufficient evidence
  • Cannot assess support

Studies of this program

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
Low Low 1

Program cost

No cost information available.

Cost results

Estimate (in 2024 dollars) Quality of cost analysis that produced the estimate
Total program cost, per participant $8,020
Interpret cost findings with caution

Cost information

How much did the program cost per participant?

The average total program cost per participant was $8,020 in 2024 dollars. This figure is based on cost information for this program reported in one cost study reviewed by Pathways to Work (for details, see the FAQ). This study received a rating of Interpret cost findings with caution for the cost analysis.

Cost information is not directly comparable across programs due to differences in the categories of costs reported and program length. Cost information is not an official price tag or guarantee.

Implementation details

Local context

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